12 Guys On How To Stay Faithful, Even In The Face Of Serious Temptation

1. “I’m a guilt-ridden guy. Whenever I’m in the position to do something regrettable, I just think about how horrible I’d feel the next morning—how hard it would be to look my beautiful girlfriend in the eyes—and I make a personal pledge not to go there.” —Jacob, 24

2. “When I get the itch to cheat on my girlfriend, I pick up my phone. My wallpaper is always a photo of us and I have an archive or amazing shots of us having a great time together. Seconds after combing through those happy couple pics, I see things clearly. I see what I have to lose by acting like a fool just to get my rocks off and it’s a lot.” — Jared, 29

3. “What I do when I’m tempted to stray is simple, and it works: I head to the nearest bathroom and jerk off.” — Derek, 27

4.“Just last week this hot girl hit on me at Whole Foods in the middle of the day. I’m human, so for a few seconds all I could think about was what she looked like naked. But then I came to and remembered that I was grocery shopping for the love of my life so we could cook dinner together that night. Instead of letting myself engage, I was totally straightforward with her. I said, ‘I have a girlfriend,’ and walked away. I think there’s value in forcing yourself to be upfront. That way, you don’t even let yourself taste the temptation. You cut it off right away.” — Frederick, 26

5. “My girlfriend doesn’t police me, and I think that’s key. She doesn’t demand that I check in all the time or call me non-stop when I’m out with my buddies. Some guys I know have to call or text their girl every hour, or they’re in trouble. And guess what? That pisses them off and makes them resentful. There’s trust between my girlfriend and me, and I respect her our relationship even more because of that. Trust isn’t easy to build, and it’s even harder to rebuild, so I don’t plan on compromising it. ” — Paul, 30

6. “It’s not that I’m that good of a guy, but I hate discomfort and there’s nothing more awkward than having to face your girlfriend one-on-one after feeling some other chick up or crossing some kind of boundary, however far you go. Believe, I know—but I’m a changed guy now. I don’t cheat because I know myself and I wouldn’t be able to stand the consequences.” — RJ, 24

7. “I like to go out a lot, and my girlfriend knows that about me. When you’re all boozed up at night and in the mix, it can be tough to make good decisions. What I do is give myself a curfew. I’m like Cinderella. At midnight, no matter how much fun I’m having, I go home to my girlfriend and we make love. Nothing good happens after 12am at the bar anyway.” — Saul, 25

8. “My girlfriend and I are both super communicators. There’s rarely even a five-minute span when I could possibly misbehave because I’m constantly reminded that she’s in my life via text, Facebook, voice note, or, if I’m lucky, a sext. I can’t imagine dating before the Internet. Constant communication makes it so easy not to be stupid.” — Trevor, 23

9. “I follow the Two Minute Rule. When a blazing hot girl hits on me at the bar or someone at work gets a little touchy-feely, I’ll reciprocate—but I watch the clock. At 120 seconds, I draw the line. I pull back entirely and nothing ever goes too far.” — Reggie, 32

10. “My fiancée is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Before her I was a disaster. So when a good-looking girl flirts with me, I’m not even tempted. I’ve got a great thing going on at home. I’m totally smitten—and proud of it.” —Ray, 29

11. “Porn really helps. I’m a sexual guy so I get a lot of urges and those urges aren’t always triggered by my girlfriend. When I get aroused and she’s not around to satisfy my needs, I count on my naked video friends to do the trick. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.” — Charles, 33

12. “Since I was a boy, my mom drilled it into my head that men who stray are bastards. ‘Don’t be a bastard like your own deadbeat dad,’ she always said. He left us when I was two-years-old and never looked back. I don’t want to be like that, and, more than anything, I don’t want to disappoint my mom. So when I’m in a serious, committed relationship, I just don’t mess around.” — John, 30